Mass Effect: Beyond Episode I Into the Beyond
by Cunningham-Hughes
Summary: Pulled into a dimensional rift after the destruction of the Normandy, Commander Shepard is now separated from his comrades by space and time. Stuck in a new universe ravaged by an alien menace, Shepard must now fight a war that is not his own, and prevent the annihilation of Humanity fighting alongside the great War Hero known only as the Master chief.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Rift between the Many Worlds

Shepard slammed his clenched fist against the holographic interface that would close the pod door, and retuned his gaze to Joker, now settled in the last of the escape pods.

"Commander! Shepard!" yelled Joker.

As Shepard looked to the Normandy pilot, the view from his helmet suddenly became enveloped with both explosions, and the beams from the Collector ship still bearing down on what remained of the devastated Normandy.

The sudden blasts, threw Shepard outward towards the vacuum of space. As he floated towards what remained of the Normandy's aft section, Shepard suddenly felt a loss of breath. He then reached behind his head and felt around for his helmets oxygen tube. As he reached for the back of his neck, Shepard felt a vacuum effect from his oxygen supply which was escaping his armor. He then reached farther back behind his head to find the oxygen tube loose, and suddenly noticing the last of his oxygen supply now in space.

His expression then became blank as he realized what was happening, for at this moment, after all the fighting and resistance, Shepard couldn't stop a force as such as death from finally taking him from this world.

As he continued floating towards the aft section of the ship Shepard reached the area of the core. Below Shepard was now a volatile Tantalus Drive core ready to erupt under the sudden loss of one its stabilizers.

Still floating through the remains of the Normandy, Shepard once again was barraged by the energy beams from the Collector ship, as it continued to move closer to what remained of the Normandy SR1.

As Shepard continued towards the core, he suddenly began to be pulled in by a singularity brought about by the now erratic and distorted space near what remained of the core. Slowly being pulled into the singularity, Shepard lost what little sense of consciousness he still had, and became almost comatose.

As the blasts continued to fall atop the area of the core, one finally strafed one of the two remaining stabilizers, and suddenly a bright light enveloped what remained of the Normandy.

From the safety of the Escape Pod, Joker looked out a window towards the light and was then suddenly overcome by a feeling of immense dread.

"Shepard…"

As the light consumed the now unconscious Shepard, the singularity became more powerful, and sucked in the body of Shepard.

Shepard then tumbled through a compact space, and slammed against what may have been the invisible forces of gravity. The space was elongated and resembled that of a large pipe. The space itself gave off many different lights that almost engulfed the view, except a bright light at the end of the space.

Shepard continued to be thrown amongst the forces, until He suddenly became enveloped by the familiar downward force of gravity. His body then slammed against what only could have been a floor. Shepard now lay in what was resembled a simple dark hall.

After what seemed like hours, Shepard slowly opened his eyes, only to have his view enveloped by the darkness of the mysterious hall he had landed in. He then took a slow breath and inhaled what felt like a breath of life.

He then raised himself form the ground, and planted himself against what felt like a compartment of pipes fixed inside the wall. When he sat down, Shepard fell back into the compartment before adjusting himself, but before he could, Shepard felt a sudden and sharp pain in his chest. He then held his right hand against his chest trying to stop the immense pain, and looked to his left wrist, as his Omni-tool struggled to come to life. He then looked to the holographic-interface, and took his hand off his chest and opened a screen that displayed a chart of his body. Shepard tapped a part of the screen, and a green line then descended down the icon of a body. As it reached the body's midsection, it revealed multiple red lights pinging in the chest.

Shepard then tapped the screen again, and opened a screen displaying multiple communication lines, each in tune to a respective Alliance communications channel. Shepard then scrolled down the screen, and tapped a tab in the middle of the screen to re-open the same communications line he had used to send the emergency hail from the Normandy. A sudden fizzling sound then engulfed the small space.

"5th fleet; this is Commander Matt Shepard, the Normandy is down, I repeat the Normandy is down, all life boats have been deployed, and require pick up." said Shepard struggling to speak.

"I cannot confirm my current position, but my armor's onboard emergency systems are emitting an emergency signal with my current coordinates and biological signatures" said Shepard still struggling.

Shepard waited patiently for the next few moments, for any response from his Omni-tool. As Shepard continued listening to the static, he quickly came to realization that he must continue on and search for help, before his internal injuries became any worse.

Shepard's already concerned expression then was overcome by pain, as he leaned his head against the compartment, while the sound from the Omni-tool fizzled out. As his Omni-tool phased out of view, Shepard raised himself from the floor, gripping his chest again. He then began walking down the dark hall, until he reached a growing light. As Shepard reached the end of the hall, he was blinded by the light from the end of the hall, as he continued beyond the entryway.

As he regained his focus, Shepard looked to his left to see nothing down a hall that closely resembled what Shepard could consider archaic design for any human ship, with its strictly industrial and easy to reach compartmental design. He then looked down the right side of the hall, and saw a group of people in what resembled a standard Alliance troop formation, holding what resembled rifles, each of them looking down their riffles iron sights directly at Shepard.

Shepard's expression was then overcome with both shock and worry, at the sight of the group. In response Shepard could only say one thing, "Oh crap".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A problem with Security

"Freeze! Hands up, and on the ground." yelled a man with a heavy Russian accent from amongst the group.

As he turned his focus towards the group, Shepard pulled his pistol from his its magnetic slot, and raised it towards the group in defense. Shepard then recognized the camouflage and uniformity amongst the group, staring into the eyes of the women and men amongst the group.

"Stand down, my name is Commander Matt Shepard, Systems Alliance Navy, N7 Special forces, Citadel Special-Tactics-And-Reconnaissance." said Shepard calmly.

"Commander? The only navy is here is the UNSC, who or whatever you are, and whatever your affiliated with, doesn't exist." yelled the man from amongst the group.

"What is the UNSC, and what type of vessel am I on?" asked Shepard.

"The UNSC is the active governing body and military force for humanity. Just in case you missed out on a small detail like that. As for the vessel that we're on, that is classified" Said the man amongst the group, as the others began to laugh.

"Now the biggest question is, how did you get aboard this craft when it's Slip-space, and why would you use an open a long-range broadcast channel if you're trying to sneak aboard "Commander"?" said the man.

"Considering the situation I'm in, I can tell you only that I don't know how I arrived here aboard your ship, and if you heard my broadcast then you should know that my ship has just been destroyed, and if your computers picked up the rest of my transmission, you would know that I am injured and need immediate medical assistance. I can honestly say that I am not attempting to sneak aboard your vessel, and have no intention of causing harm to your ship or crew." said Shepard as he began to struggle against the pain again.

"Then why is your weapon still up?" said the man again.

"I have no idea who any of you are or what is going on right now, and when a guy receives a greeting like this, he might as well have his gun ready." said Shepard in response

"The least I can tell you right now is that you facing down a platoon of UNSC Marines equipped with M85K assault rifles. Each of them ready to kill an intruder like yourself." said the man.

"I have no hostile intentions! I am only acting in self-defense, and I'm sure if we just put all our weapons down, then we can figure out a peaceful resolution to this situation." said Shepard.

"Seeing as you're the one who's on the wrong side of these riffles, you've invaded our ship, and seeing as to how the supposed military and political organization you're from doesn't exist, you have no right to negotiate in a situation like this" said the voice amongst the platoon.

Shepard's expression from under his helmet turned to hesitation as he stared down the battle ready platoon. He then looked to the third row of the platoon to see a soldier lift his hand towards his helmet, and tap its side.

"Sir, we have the intruder cornered, what are our orders?" said the voice of the man who had engaged Shepard in conversation.

Shepard then leaned his head to the side, in attempt to see the face of this would be negotiator.

Put-off by the movement, a single marine in the front of the formation, amidst the tension, took a shot at Shepard. The other marines then engaged Shepard, with their readied riffles.

The oncoming barrage of rounds struck the Mass effect fields of Shepard's armor, and pinged off the barriers in random directions. The barrage continued until a smoke came over the compact space, and consumed the view of both Shepard and the marines.

As the smoke cleared, a sudden confusion came over the platoon.

From behind the platoon, the same man looked on in astonishment at the sight. He saw Shepard standing before him, with his arm raised to deflect the rounds.

"How?" said the man.

A sudden mass of pain then came over Shepard, before he collapsed before the group. Each member of the platoon then broke rank, and rushed towards Shepard.

Three weeks passed, as a now comatose Shepard lay in the medical bay, stripped of his wares aboard the still in Slip-space Pillar of Autumn, jetting towards unknown coordinates. Such a circumstance brought on by the UNSC's infamous Cole protocol.

Shepard, slowly opened his eyes to another blinding light, but this time suspended directly overhead. As he began to regain feeling in his body, Shepard attempted to move his arms, but as he tugged, he found himself to be confined to a medical bed. Shepard then raised his head from where he lay and looked down his now constricted body. He noticed that he was only wearing his standard N7 program high-collar shirt, and his dark-grey Alliance Marine cargo pants, with a new pair of combat boots.

Shepard then looked to his left, but his view suddenly became obstructed by the darkness of the room. Returning his view to light suspended above, Shepard began contemplating the unique nature of his new situation.

"So, let me think. I am now trapped aboard an unknown and unnamed vessel, headed for destinations unknown, and I'm tied to a bed in a room that I can only assume, is connected to some type of infirmary, since I'm surrounded by stuff that nearly resembles medical equipment. And the worst part is that, I still have no idea what is going on." said Shepard to himself inside the confines of his mind.

Shepard lay idle again on the bed, and stared off into space for the next few moments as a door suddenly slid open to his right. In the doorway stood the figure of a women, her figure casting a shadow into the room, brought on from the light in the corridor behind her.

Shepard then turned to meet the figure as she made her approach towards him. The figure came under the light suspended above Shepard, the light revealed a youthful, light skinned, brown haired, green eyed women, wearing what resembled stereotypical medical garb, and a pair of modern prescription glasses.

She then leaned over Shepard, and used her thumb and index fingers to force Shepard's right eye to open wider. She then reached for a pocket inside her lab coat and pulled out what may have been a compact scanning device. She then placed the device above Shepard's eye, before a beam suddenly appeared, and shot itself into Shepard's iris. She then took the device and held it above Shepard's chest, now free of pain.

She then took her index and middle finger, and tapped his chest, before pressing her ear against his chest. Shepard's expression was then overcome with confusion, as he looked onto the woman still pressing her ear on his chest.

"Well its seems that everything is in order Commander, based upon my scans and own analysis." Said the doctor

"Um, thanks for taking care of me I guess." said Shepard in response.

She then walked over to a nearby stand and activated a terminal, pulling up a display of a body. The body itself was separated by multiple sections. Each of them was green, and pinged in and out life, as if it was in tune with a pulse. Shepard could only assume this pulse was his own, which seemed nominal.

She then walked back over to Shepard, and planted her hands on the bed, and leaned over him.

"Well Commander, it seems your fit to be up and about again" said the Doctor with a light French accent in her voice.

She then turned to a terminal beside the bed and tapped a single button, that suddenly unlocked the metal restraints that tied Shepard down.

"Ah, Thanks." Said Shepard still confused.

The Doctor then reached out her hand to Shepard.

"Hello Commander Shepard, my name is Doctor Finrich. I've been your personal physician the last couple of weeks."

Shepard's expression than became infused with Shock.

"First off, how do you know my name, and how long have I been out?" said Shepard in response.

"Well, I can only say that there have been a few briefings about the data that has been gathered on you, and well, as to how long you've been out, it's been about three weeks since you collapsed after a single marine gave into the tension of the situation you caused. And oh my, what a sight it was to watch him be disciplined, especially the scolding the Captain gave him." said the Doctor.

"Well Doctor Finrich I need to ask, why have you released me?" asked Shepard

"To put it shortly, the Captain would like to see you." said the Doctor in response

Before Shepard could even be surprised by the idea of such a thing happening, the same door the doctor entered through slid open. There stood the figure of a man with a rifle readied.

"Well it's good to see you up Commander, I was starting to think that you were simply lazy" said the figure with the same thick Russian accent Shepard had encountered before.

"Commander, this is Sargent Artamova. He'll be your escort, before you meet the Captain" said Doctor Finrich.

"Please follow me, "Commander"." said the Sargent.

Shepard then rose from the bed, thanked the doctor, and headed towards the door. Though before he could reach the door, Shepard was interrupted by the Sargent.

"Shepard, I need to say this before we see the Captain, go look in the mirror and fix yourself up, you're going to see a senior officer." Said Artamova with a strict tone his voice.

He then pointed to Shepard's beard, that had grown in his Comatose state. Shepard then walked over to mirror and sink in the corner of the room and looked into the mirror.

He noticed that his once clean-cut dark red hair was now messy, and a beard of the same color had developed in place of his 5 o'clock shadow.

The doctor then walked over with a shaving kit in hand and placed it on the corner of the sink. She then looked to Shepard, and acknowledged the orders from the sergeant with a nod after turning to Shepard one last time

Shepard then shaved away his beard and revealed his clean and pale complexion. He then snipped away some parts of the hair to clean it up, and then looked into his own cobalt blue eyes, and surveyed his face, for any last abnormalities that may have been on his face.

"You done yet princess, let's get moving…" said the Sargent now waiting in opposite corner of the room.

"Here Take these." Said Artamova.

He then took Shepard's hands and locked them in a pair of cuffs.

"Is this really nessacary?" asked Shepard.

"Considering where you're going, yes they are. Now let's get moving" Said the Sargent

Shepard then nodded towards the doctor, as a makeshift form of thanks, and then headed towards the door, as the sergeant walked out ahead of him into the hall.

As Shepard walked out into the hall, his eyes began to wander, observing the entirety of the unfamiliar space around him. Shepard then felt belittled by the circumstances he was in, still overcome by confusion, even when simply taking in his surroundings.

"Stressed?" asked the Sargent.

"Yeah, I hope my questions will be answered." said Shepard with concern.

"We'll see" said the Sargent.

The two then continued through the corridors of the ship, until they approached the entrance to a room guarded by two armed guards. The Sargent then saluted the two guards, before they moved away from the door. The Sargent then taped apart of the interface beside the door, to open the automatic door.

The two then walked forward into a hall, and then passed through another door, entering a room that resembled the stereotypical integration room with a single light hanging over a table with two chairs, each opposite each other. Shepard then looked across the table, and noticed a middle aged-man in an unfamiliar uniform, with another marine standing at his side, with his upper body under the cover of darkness.

"Please sit Commander" said the man across the table.

Shepard then sat across from the man, and looked on towards him, who returned Shepard's emotionless gaze with his own emotionless stare.

"Sargent, remove those cuffs, please." said the man

"Sir?" asked the Sargent hesitantly.

"Go ahead Sargent." said the man.

Shepard's cuffs were then removed by the Sargent, and then he returned his focus to man across the table.

"Commander, my name is Captain Jacob Keyes, and I must say this is the most interesting meeting I've ever had. I have the honor and pleasure of speaking to a man who came from another dimension." Said Captain Keyes

Shepard's expression was then overcome by surprise, as he looked to the Captain.

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Shepard.

"Commander Shepard, as you're called in your world, Savior of the Galaxy, the man who took down the rouge Spectre Sarren, Star of Terra recipient, resident of Vancouver B.C, age 28, N7 graduate, and savior of the Planet of Elysium. I don't mean to have you at a disadvantage Commander, but a very rambunctious friend of mine has been busy the past few weeks while you've been comatose." said Keyes.

"How do you know all this about me?" asked Shepard.

"Commander, my rambunctious friend has been able hack into armor's onboard database and find some things about you." said Keys.

"Sir, if I may call you that based upon your rank. If I may speak freely, and ask as to how all of this happened? Where am I exactly, and what is going on?" asked Shepard still confused.

Before the Captain could speak, a holographic figure suddenly appeared to Shepard's right side. The figure resembled that of a young woman with short light colored hair.

"Hello Shepard, how are you?" said the figure.

"Ah, I'm sorry, like with pretty much everyone here, you have me at a disadvantage." said Shepard.

"Commander this is Cortona, The ships on board AI" said Keyes interrupting the two.

"Um, I guess it's good to meet you Cortona" said Shepard surprised at the idea.

"It's good to see you up and about Shepard, I hope to be working with you soon, oops" said Cortona enthusiastically.

"Well, Since Cortona obviously lacks the ability to take make a subtle approach in conversations. Commander I'll get straight to the point, I'm heavily inclined to ask to help us with our problem?" said the Captain.

"What is this issue exactly?" asked Shepard.

"Commander your on board the UNSC heavy frigate Pillar of Autumn, headed away from the planet Reach, after the surface of the planet was annihilated by a religion driven alien hierarchy known as the Covenant. The Covenant has been at war with humanity for nearly 25 years, and seeks the annihilation of humanity. In order to protect earth, and in accordance with the Cole protocol, we've had to jumped to random coordinates to avoid the Covenant reaching Earth. In this time of desperation, I need every able body ready to fight, and when you "fell" upon our doorstep, Cortona here looked into your resume, and I've come to ask for your help." said Captain Keyes.

"Captain, I don't know what to say. The only thing I can say though is that I need to find a way home. Considering the fact, that just a moment I found out I'm in a whole new dimension, and you're asking me to fight in a war for you ." said Shepard, as he started to laugh.

"Shepard, I can offer all the resources at my disposal to find you a way home, but on the condition you join the fight against the covenant." said Keyes.

"Captain, I'm also assuming you need my help to operate my armor and weapons, against the Covenant, right? I don't know what to say considering the fact that I just met you, your men shot at me, and well I'm still in a little bit of shock, and besides the fact that you lack the same amount of subtly that your AI friend needs."

"Hey!" yelled Cortona as she chimed in again.

"Commander, I don't think there is anyway to be subtle in regards to subject like this." said Keyes.

"Son, I don't think you really have a choice in the manner" said the marine from behind Captain Keyes, the voice both gruff and strict like that of the most legendary marine drill sergeants.

The figure then came out from the darkness and slammed his hands against the table, revealing a dark skinned man, who seemed to be just a few years younger than the captain. The man's face was covered with a goatee that almost seemed to make him more intimidating to a man like Shepard. With the sudden slam Cortana disappeared.

"Sargent Major Johnson, stand down." said Keyes in a strict manner.

"Give me a second with Shepard here sir, I'll make sure he joins the fight." roared Johnson, before leaning back.

"Commander, please excuse Sargent Johnson, but all of us are under stress. We all lost a lot of good people on Reach, and we're asking a man with his own wars to fight to join another." said Keyes.

"I'm sorry for the reluctance Captain, so much has happened so fast, I just haven't taken everything in yet, and the fact that I may never go home is just a little overwhelming." said Shepard in a disheartened manner.

A confidence then overcame Shepard's voice. "Though, Captain, I could serve you if and only if, the UNSC, AFTER this war is over, helps me find a way home" said Shepard as a confident grin came over his face.

He then stood up and raised his hand and reached across the table towards the Captain.

Keyes's, expression suddenly turned from confusion to a look that was equally as confident as Shepard's.

"You have yourself a deal Commander." said the Captain standing to meet Shepard.

As the meeting concluded, Sargent Artamova was dismissed, and returned to his post on the engineering deck. Shepard was then escorted to one of the still vaccant room's in the dormitories by Sargent Johnson.

As the door opened before them, Shepard walked into the room and turned again to Johnson.

"I know its compact, but you should be good until we exit slip-space." said Johnson.

"Thank you Sargent, but anyway my question is, when can I get my armor and weapons back?" asked Shepard.

"They'll stay in the armory until we run into trouble. Until then just sit tight, you'll need to rest, and take in everything before you face your first Covenant. Anyway, if you questions Cortona will take care of you." said Johnson.

Shepard then saluted the Sargent, before each of them separated. Shepard then walked into the room, and sat on the small bed. He looked to see a desk, fit with a holographic interface, a closet for any marine's assorted wares, and then a screen near the door which what maybe a means a communication throughout the ship, or entertainment.

Shepard then planted his hands in hand lap and looked down.

"What is happening to me" said Shepard to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Author Notes:

-Shout out to Daisy-023, hope you enjoy.

-To any who read, if you could please leave some type of constructive critique it would be great. I like to take suggestions or learn any way I can, as a aspire one day to became an author. Feel free, to leave some advice otherwise. Anyway enjoy.

-Shout out to any of those involved in the Australia wildfires. Be safe.

Chapter 3: A Spartan Passerby

Shepard sat idle at his desk inside his compact dormitory, overlooking a screen displaying non-confidential information that Cortana had provided him with, while she overlooked him from the side. The room itself lay dark, as only the light from the desk lamp, and screen illuminated the compact space.

"So what you thinking?" asked Cortana playfully.

"Well I've read what I could on the battle of Reach you all escaped from, but I keep coming back to both the events of your first meeting with Covenant on harvest, as well these events from the Rainforest wars." said Shepard, his focus still on the screen.

Cortana smiled at him while he held up his face with his hand, and causally skimmed through the text and images on the screen.

"So I take since this is what you mostly do with your time, you have some interest in history?" asked Cortana as she leaned in towards Shepard from her holographic pedestal.

Shepard turned to her with a calm grin.

"Yeah I guess you could say that, it was one of my better subjects in school. I can't lie though; I need to learn as much as I can if I'm going to be here for an unknown duration. Especially the considering the circumstances I'm now under." said Shepard

"You know you could focus less on history, and be more sociable towards the crew. I mean really it's been a week since you woke up, and besides your brief conversations with Keyes and Johnson, you've remained pretty isolated. Everybody who has been briefed on you that just awoke from cryo sleep thinks you're turning into something worse than the freak accident, or the Captains "Project" said Cortana.

"I guess you could say, with an escort taking me everywhere, it would be kind of hard to reach out to anybody aboard. I mean really the three times I used my Omni-tool outside my quarters, everyone stares at me with a xenophobic brand of paranoia. Despite the fact I'm human. "said Shepard, while letting off a brief laugh.

"Well I don't think it's weird." Said Cortana trying to control her laughter.

"Yes, of course you don't , I mean after all, you are the foreign Artificial Intelligence, that ripped passed the highest levels of both Alliance and citadel encryption in my armor." said Shepard, with a hint of Sarcasm in his voice.

"What can I say, quite literally nothing can hide from me, its not your fault, technology and new programming languages based upon a rediscovered alien dialect mean nothing to girl like me." said Cortana jokingly.

Shepard looked on annoyed at Cortana.

"What?" said Cortana.

Shepard sighed before he continued. "The only people who even bother to talk to me are Keyes, and Johnson. And to be honest, I think that Johnson sees me more as a nuisance, but your Captain is putting too much faith in me before I even have a chance to fight in a war that isn't even my own. Beside the fact every member of this crew seems to reach for their gun as I walk by. And the closest thing I have to a friend is a spunky AI." said Shepard.

Cortana's smile disappeared as she looked on towards Shepard. "Shepard. What you are, what you have, what you've done. When you fell into our lap the way you did, it may have been a very unique entrance, but after some digging what we found, was something else that might just spare us from some of the covenants wrath, at least for a little longer. Aliens, robots, and whatever these Reapers are, seem to make you fit to deal with the Covenant. The issue is though, like many of our own "Specialists", especially the specific ones that I have worked with, you may not be enough to stop covenant alone, but you can sure as hell take a lot of them out before they go down."

Shepard smirked at Cortana's remark, as her smile returned to her face, before leaning back into his seat and folding his arms behind his head to relax.

"Cortana I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…" said Shepard before they both laughed.

Three hours passed as both Cortana and Shepard sorted through for what was an alternate History of Humanity to the Commander. Cortana at times even offering her own footnotes, while going on to answer, some of Shepard's more perplexing questions, At least those that she would allow herself to answer, given the Commanders unique status.

"So this proxy realm of space, known as Slipsteam-Space, it was the key to winning the rainforest wars?" asked Shepard.

"And your citadel Council, they outlaw AI's because of these Geth?" asked Cortana.

"Yes." said both of them in unison, before laughing.

As he regained his composure, Shepard asked another question. "So I know that we are heading towards unknown coordinates under the directive of this "Cole Protocol" that I've become aware of, but should I be worried about anything besides the possibility of our ship being pursued?"

"We just need to lose any possible pursuers, and if the other side is clear, we might be able to go on to a rally point. We just can't give them any Slipspace vectors that could lead back to a population center." said Cortana, while Shepard nodded in response.

Before Shepard could speak again though, the voice of Captain Keyes came over intercom in the room, disturbing the calm that had been cast over the room from the healthy conversation that had taken place.

"All Personnel, prepare for exit it to normal space. All Marine Personnel please report to the combat deck and proceed to standby, all crew we are preceding to condition orange."

Shepard walked to the doorway of the room and tapped the holographic, to light up the rest of the room, as he returned his focus to Cortana. The AI stood idle, as she flicked her head towards a blinking light that had appeared on his screen.

As Shepard took his seat again, Cortana said" I think it's for you". He then leaned in opening up the icon for messages, and saw that a priority encrypted message had arrived from keyes. Inside it only said "Ready Up. Code-word phrase: Icarus in flight."

Cortana looked to him again. "You better head to the armory."

Shepard strapped on his combat boots and rushed out into the compact and metallic corridors of the ship, even passing a distraught Sgt. Artamova as he rushed by. He kept on until he reached the Armory on the combat deck. A soldier awaited Shepard just inside the entrance of the armory, as other Marines that had just suited up and ran past heading towards their respective areas.

The room lay full of a range of weapons from wall to wall.

"Quartermaster." said Shepard.

"Shepard right? Anyway Code-word phrase?" asked the Quartermaster.

"Code-word Phrase: Icarus in flight."

"Follow me Shepard."

The quartermaster led Shepard deeper on into a small confined space deeper into the armory. He then took to a lit up keypad, and opened the compartment inside the wall. The dark compartment came to life, as lights at the sides, and a single one at the top came to life, illuminating, Shepard's N7 heavy armor, and his four weapons.

In a brief few moments Shepard, had equipped his all too familiar and snug armor. His Weapons locked into his side and back, before he stretched his neck, breaking into the upper part of his armor.

He then pulled out his N7 helmet sitting just inside the compartment. He looked to the top of the helmet noticing that the red paint scheme had been scratched. As he looked closer, he noticed that part of the glass visor had been scratched, whereas part of the auxiliary oxygen ports had been dented from his near fatal accident.

Shepard sighed at the sight of the damage, and felt at some of the deeper scratches in his chest-plate. He then smiled, gracious over the fact that his armor old armor had held up for him in his time of need.

Shepard then took the helmet, and planted it on his head, taking his first breath, into the still equipped breathing mask. He then tipped forward, as he felt a sudden jolt going into the back of his head.

"You may need these" said the quartermaster.

Shepard felt the back of his neck moving, recognizing that his oxygen cords had been repaired, but as soon as he touch them, images of his near fatal accident came flooding back into his mind. He then turned to the quartermaster.

"Thanks, I think I will need these, and thanks for the fix." Said Shepard

"You're welcome, anyway you need to head to the bridge, Captains orders."

"Roger" said Shepard before he rushed out of the armory towards the bridge.

As Shepard ran through the corridors, he passed by squads of both ODST's and marines heading off to their respective assignments aboard the massive light-cruiser that was the Pillar of Autumn. All the marines seemed as if they were ready to die at any moment for their classified mission, which set in a familiar and tense militaristic atmosphere that Shepard himself had recognized during his brief year acting as the commanding officer of the Normandy. Shepard knew that any of them had to be ready at any moment's notice.

He kept on rushing forward towards the bridge, continuing passed the assorted personnel, many of them looking on in bewilderment, at the site of him participating in their protocols.

A half hour had almost passed since Shepard had left his room, recovered his equipment for the first time since his arrival, and headed for the bridge. As he reached the bridge almost all the seats were filled as the bridge staff each maintained an intense focus on their respective consoles, watching for any sign of trouble. Ahead by the Central console stood Keyes with Cortana floating idly by, as both of them looked on to the void of Space through the viewport of the bridge towards a gas giant in the distance and strange structure that sat in its orbit.

As he approached Shepard removed his helmet to speak face to face with the Captain.

"Cortana all I need to know is, did we lose them?" said Keyes, with concern growing in his voice.

"I think we both know the answer to that" said Cortana, in her usual calm and disarming fashion.

"We made a blind jump how did they…?" asked Keyes

"Get here first? Covenant ships have always been faster." said Cortana, as her tone began to evoke an ominous feeling.

"But we flew in dark…" said Keyes. Keyes then turned away from Cortana noticing Shepard standing idle with his helmet in hand, looking as ready as any marine ever could be.

"Commander good to see you received the orders" said Keyes.

"Captain, Cortana good to see you again." said Shepard standing at attention.

Cortana then leaned over and casually waved to Shepard before she disappeared.

"Shepard, I don't mean this to seem so sudden, but we have encountered the Covenant. It seems that they have been waiting for us, since we have left Reach. Cortana has also sited that there are three battle groups, which obviously this single ship cannot take on. We have secured a window of time since our sorties have been able to take down their reconnaissance vessels, but in the meantime there is something that I need your help in doing." said Keyes with all seriousness in his voice.

"Anything sir, just say"

"I have called forward another soldier, who you will assist in escorting Cortana, in fact if you wish to speak to him, he's standing right beside you." said Keyes.

Shepard turned to see a tall armored and muscular figure standing Idle beside him. The figures armor letting off a strange, but intimidating olive green sheen. Shepard then looked to the figures golden visor, seeing that no sense of being or emotion would be revealed to him as long as the visor hid the figures face.

"Commander Shepard, this is SPARTAN-117 Masterchief"

Cortana reappeared, atop her holographic pedestal, as she looked to Masterchief.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"With you driving, of course." said Masterchief, with his deep and chiseled voice.

While Chief and Cortana conversed Shepard looked on to the Masterchief, in awe of the fact he had gotten by Shepard without setting of his suits motion trackers, or Shepard's keen senses. "What is he?" Shepard said in the confines of his mind.

In Shepard's confusion, Keyes pulled Shepard aside to explain.

"Sir what is he, he snuck in like nothing?" said Shepard

"That would be the UNSC's best Weapon against the covenant, a SPARTAN. They are Super Soldiers that have been fighting before the Covenant's genocidal war against humanity began." said Keyes.

"Captain are you referring to the insurrection forces…?" asked Shepard.

"Yes, but I don't have much time to explain…"

As the two returned to Chief, the Captain returned to his own explanation.

"Chief, this is our stowaway, the one the technician may have mentioned, Commander Matt Shepard. If you're looking for details I will have to divulge them later. As of now I'm enacting Article 2 of the Cole Protocol, we are evacuating the Autumn, and Chief, you are to take Cortana and evacuate with. You will take lead and with the Commander, secure her. We must never let her fall into the hands of the Covenant."

"Sir, where are we going?" asked Chief.

"If you notice that structure just ahead, it appears to have some sort of life-supporting atmosphere to it, so we should be able land teams upon it once we get a little closer. For the time being, this is where you will take Cortana, while the Autumn takes the brunt of the attack. " said Keyes.

Both Shepard and Chief then looked to each other, seeking confirmation of the order.

"Shepard." said Chief.

"Chief." said Shepard.

Keyes then pulled a drive from a port, as Cortana again disappeared from her pedestal, and then handing the drive to Chief. He then plugged the drive into the back of his helmet.

"Now both of you should remain ready, in time Covenant boarding parties will soon breach the Autumn. Chief, take my sidearm, Shepard you should be fine with what you have. We are all on the same side here, and Chief, Shepard. Watch each other's backs out there. "

In unison Shepard and Chief, sounded off with a salute and said "Yes sir.".

It was then that the crewman beside them turned away from his console, and looked onto the Captain.

"Sir Covenant boarding parties have been dispatched, from the approaching battle-groups, the first one will hit.."

Before the crewman could finish, the entire ship shook under the sudden strike of the first Covenant boarding craft striking at the ship's hull.

"Shepard go with Chief and get off this boat, I'll take care of the rest from here. Just make sure the Covenant doesn't get their hands on Cortana." Said Keyes, as he turned away from Shepard and Chief, turning his attention to the Central console.

Shepard then put on his helmet, again and looked to Chief as his HUD came to life, with his radar, and shield indicator appearing on the Corner of his HUD.

Chiefs cold and chiseled voice then came over Shepard's intercom, as they looked to each other. "Are you ready Shepard."

"Lead on" said Shepard.

Keyes turned away from the console looking on towards the two as the left the bridge.

"Godspeed Gentleman, Godspeed…"

Chief lead the charge past a group of Marines and crewman, that were attempting to extinguish a fire that had sprung up in one of the maintenance shafts. The entire makeup of the pipe had seemingly blown open with a strange blue coolant leaking in conjunction with steam blowing out of a smaller pipe nearby.

Over both their Intercoms Cortana broke the subtle tension that had sprung up between the two. "I hope they can manage that"

"We need to head to the first available evac." said Chief, his voice first to break the silence between the two.

"Cortana, can you lead us to the nearest one?" asked Shepard.

"Setting waypoint now." said Cortana, as both Chief and Shepard's HUD's lit up with a diamond shaped waypoint, that sighted that an evac shuttle was only a few meters away.

"This way, into the Mess hall" said Chief as he turned down a hallway, and into the room on the right side. Shepard followed Chief as he slipped into the room. Inside, the sounds of gunfire engulfed the room as Marines fired their rifles toward a pack of Grunts that took cover amongst the many tipped over tables, that gave cover to both opposing forces.

Chief raised his M6D sidearm, and shot off a few rounds stopping the first pack of grunts cold, as the each fell to the ground, while Shepard slid in behind one of the tables. As two more groups entered, Shepard unfolded his always reliable M7 Avenger and readied his rifle taking aim.

The lights of the room flickered, as the other lights from the barrels of Marine assault rifles, Chief's sidearm, and the Grunts plasma pistols let off a multicolored firestorm. Plasma bolts struck the shields of Shepard's armor as he began to fire down sight, each round from the rifle, ripping away at the flesh of the vulnerable and expendable Grunts.

The grunts screeched and yelped, as their flesh burned away from both the heat of the riffle round, and pain of entire body parts now missing. From cover, the plasma bolts kept on bombarding chief, but he ignored the intense heat as they glanced of his shields. He then left cover, rushing out and vaulting across the tipped over table in front of him. He stood idle as another group of grunts entered the room, easily picking them off as they approached, with single shots to head for each.

Shepard kept firing from the safety of the table, providing over watch for Chief and the other Marines.

As a sudden and eerie quiet overtook the room, a door to Shepard's side opened. It opened to reveal, a group of towering creatures, covered in gleaming armor, and in the creatures right hands, he noticed what reassembled a glowing light swords. The creature in front of the group roared at the site of Shepard, seemingly announcing their presence to the room. He then darted forward with his sword raised to a now vulnerable Shepard.

As Shepard turned to meet the creature head on aiming down the riffles scope, he said to

himself "So this in an Elite…."

Next chapter: Striking at the Land


	4. Chapter 4

Author notes: Thanks for the support everyone, I hope I can keep improving with your support.

-Excuse the random schedule I have the uploads on its just been a long few weeks.

-As always feel free to be brutal, I want to improve anyway I can. Seriously tell me I how can tell a better story! Lets not have 50 Shades set the standard, and help me make a story better than Potter, at least that what I hope to do... I have a lot for fanfic in the works so keep a look out.

-Shout-out to Trix17: Given the time, I can assure you this story has a long way to go, and I hope I can stack to up your expectations, I want to be that storyteller!

Chapter 4: Striking at the Land

Shepard looked on into the Elites intense yellow eyes, as the heat from his gleaming energy sword began to sink passed his armor as it approached.

As the world began to slow under Shepard's ensuing stress, the sight of the Elite brought about memories of the Blitz. The Elite in front of him had seemingly turned into the same Bartarian that had backed him into a corner on Elysium.

Before Shepard could realize it though, Chief had vaulted and dashed across the tables scattered across the ruined messed hall, and slammed the elite against the wall, trapping his arm with the sword in the process.

While Shepard looked on with a relaxed sense of awe at the sight, the rest of the Elites looked on in horror, before breaking out into a shared roar that shot across the mess hall.

"Shepard move." said Chief.

"Right."

Shepard then kicked himself back, sliding back into crouch. Breaking his hold on the Elite, Chief slammed the arm of the Elite against the wall, leaving a dent in the wall and causing him to drop the sword.

As chief caught the blade, he stabbed the sword into the torso of the Elite. The purple colored blood of stained the wall as he slid down to the ground, while letting off a last whimpering growl as he descended.

The group of Elites then dashed forward into the room trying to overtake the two as they were bombarded by fire from the Marines still behind cover in the mess hall.

As there shields flickered against the continuing barrage of rounds, one broke off attempting to strike at Chief, while Shepard raised his rifle, preparing to strike at the others.

In conjunction, Shepard and the marines cut through the shields with ease, leaving nothing but two burning corpses that were both filled with burning flesh, and metal tungsten's from the Marines many rifle rounds.

Shepard darted forward to assist Chief, still engaged in a physical standoff with the Blue armored Elite. Chief slammed his clenched fist deep into the torso of the elite, with a small bit of saliva being ejected from the mouth of the elite. Chief then slammed his free hand against the large aliens armored face, finishing just as Shepard heard both of the left mandibles snap.

The Elite tried to duck away, but was grabbed by chief, only to have his neck snapped seconds late. Chief looked to Shepard as he stood by with his rifle ready.

"Nice work, Chief." said Shepard.

"I've been told that I can "clean house" on occasion said Chief, his voice carrying no emotion.

"Oh you don't say…" said Shepard, as the awkwardness set in.

One of the Marines then approached Shepard, as Chief went on ahead.

"Don't worry, most Spartans are pretty reserved, but trust me you'll learn about them fast. He'll become your best friend in a fight, but he won't just talk much." said the Maine as he passed Shepard.

Shepard looked on then, and in a brief moment recalled his still stressed nerves, as he struggled to adjust to his ever unique circumstance. Shepard then darted ahead to rejoin chief and the others.

The group continued on deeper into the ship, running into to more of the Covenants advance forces that seemed almost endless. Shepard at times, recalling the consistency of the pirate raiders back on Elysium, that seemed almost endless in numbers within the confines of his mind.

The makeshift team continued on until they reached a larger standoff that overtaken the hall ahead. It was only as Shepard was about to engage the group in battle that he was held back by the force of indomitable strength that was the Master Chief.

"We need to change our path" said Chief, as Shepard turned to meet his visor.

"But Chief what about them?" asked Shepard.

"We need to move, if we keep going on like this we may be overtaken, or captured, and besides, we may not be able to handle them." said Chief.

"What do you mean?" asked Shepard.

Chief pointed onward, as multiple figures came around the corner of the hall, but fixed his eyes on what seemed like multiple cloaked figures.

"Cloaking… What are those?" asked Shepard.

"Those are Elite Special forces, the smaller lizard like creatures are jackals. Those I can handle, but put together, with multiple infantry groups, and those Elites. We will easily be overtaken by them, and we can't risk Cortana."

Shepard turned away looking onto the group, as more marines appeared from behind a once sealed pathway that allowed for them to flank the group. It was after a few seconds more that Elites broke from hiding, as their swords appeared seemingly from nowhere.

Shepard attempted to pull away, but suddenly didn't resist.

"Cortana have you found an alternate route?" asked Chief

"Yes, just be ready to watch your corners. I'm sending you through the vents." Said Cortana just as the waypoint appeared on both their HUDs.

"We need to move." said Chief as he pulled away from Shepard heading the opposite way down the Corridor.

Shepard looked onward one last time before turning away, and going after chief, reminding himself, of what had been said to him many years ago, just as entered the N7 program.

"No matter what you do, no matter how hard you fight, none of you will always be able to save them all. "

As Shepard caught up with chief, he paused, standing before the ventilation shaft that had just begun to slide open.

"You alright Shepard." asked Cortana, as her voice came over Shepards intercom.

"Yeah, just concerned about dark path ahead." said Shepard attempting to conceal his array of stress.

"Lights on" said Chief as the lights from both his rifle and helmet came to life, now illuminating just the entryway of the maintenance compartment. He then ducked into the pathway, again going ahead of Shepard.

Shepard followed Chief into the compact pathway as his own lights came to life, keeping them aimed towards the ground, as to not make any possible nearby enemies aware of their presence.

Both of them darted left and right through the maze that was the maintenance corridors. The only time the silence of the area was broken was when Chief had run into a grunt that had found its way into the dark pathways.

He proceeded to shoot the little creature once in the head, and then kicked him out of the way to keep their pathway unobstructed.

Growing ever closer to the waypoint, Chief and Shepard paused before an exit that was lit up from the light of the corridor that lay just beyond them.

Both stood silent as the sound of gun fire went off in the corridor. Two assorted groups of Covenant forces then past by as both them as they looked on.

Chief then tapped his hand against a panel beside the door, causing the door to open, but not before grabbing the door to slow the sliding mechanism, to silence any further noise.

Chief then lifted his hand out, and motioned his fingers forward as signaling for both of them to move forward out into the corridor.

Shepard followed again as chief lead on, each of them with their riffles raised looked on towards the group of Elites as they walked onward.

"I got this" whispered Shepard over the intercom.

Chief stood idle at Shepard's side, as Shepard reached to his side, pulling out a small disk like device. He then pressed an icon at the center of the disk, as soft blue glow began to resonate from the disks sides. Shepard then tossed the disk towards the groups of Covenant, but then reached for another and threw it in succession.

As the two disks approached, the covenant squads remained unaware, until a jackal turned, only to hit by the first disk, just as it exploded.

The culminated blast caused for both groups to instantly be consumed in a brightness that obscured even the view from behind both there tinted visors.

"Nice ordinance Shepard, you have any more of those?" asked Chief.

"Bout eight more, this was just so they don't ever catch up to the friendlies we left behind. "said Shepard as he cracked his knuckles, purely by clenching his fist.

"Alright we're almost to the waypoint just follow me." said Chief, again taking the lead.

Shepard and Chief headed on deeper into the depths of the ship towards the Lifeboat, engaging covenant forces that would face them down, other times ducking and weaving away from the engagements simply to keep the focus on the objective at hand.

With the waypoint just ahead of them, the hallway had suddenly become filled with even more debris that acted as makeshift cover for both Covenant and UNSC forces alike. Evidence of the battles showed across every inch of the area, with scattered areas covered by burnt metals, and more noises of gunfire just down the way.

"The Lifeboat should be just ahead, as long as we can handle this at least, after all we don't know what type of elites are just ahead…"said Cortana, before being interrupted by the entirety of the ship shaking under fire from nearby Covenant vessels.

"We need to get off this Boat before it blows everybody." said Shepard, with his concern growing.

"I concur" said Cortana.

Both of them vaulted over the nearest cover and darted down the hall, pausing at the corner, looking down the way, to see another group just shy of where they, with each of the squads rearing for another fight, considering the jackals had their shields ready.

"Duck!" yelled Chief, as both of them slid against overturned shield emplacement.

Shepard turned around it sides and shot towards the jackals and Elites, but the jackals shields blocked every oncoming strike, all the while their shields continued to weaken under the great stress from his assault rifle. The blue glow of the artificial shield wall they had created by standing in unison, turned a dull orange, as Chief finished off the grunts turning his own riffle on the enemies that lay ahead of him.

The shield wall broke apart under the stress, as the Elites from behind strafed out of the way an began firing on the both of them with their standard Plasma rifles, the bolts of plasma again struck their shields but splashed off of them, as they both stood firm. The still present jackals then recovered and readied their carbines, and beam rifles.

As the firefight turned into a stalemate, a frustrated Elite drew his energy sword, and ran into the onslaught of rounds. As he seemingly strafed passed, the rounds slipped off his shields.

Still firing Shepard reached to his side again for another grenade, but was stopped by Chief.

"I'll handle this" he said, as he reached to the side of his own armor.

He removed two plasma grenades from the compartment, and pressed the center buttons activating their blue glow, before casting them off towards the Covenant forces.

The grenades flew to them, as some of the forces attempted to move away, but it would be too late as one stuck to a jackal amongst the group and then the Elite that was running towards them. Chief pulled Shepard behind the barricade, holding him back as the concussive force from the blasts consumed the tattered hallway, while the blue inferno followed in succession.

As Shepard was let go, he turned around the side of the barricade, and looked on to see a large pile of burnt corpses that remained. Shepard imagined the smell to be horrible if it weren't for his helmet keeping it out.

Chief looked on un-phased by the sight, simply considering it to be an all too familiar sight, as he raised himself up from his kneel.

"Ok, that was pretty good." said Shepard, finally relived.

"Let's go, the life boat is just ahead." said Chief as more sounds of gunfire, began to grow closer to the two.

As they kept on they were accompanied by explosions from the still attacking Covenant, and rocking of the ship. In view a group of marines dashed towards the last open lifeboat, as a red glow came over the hallway, accompanied by the obnoxious but now assuring sound of the alarm.

Chief Dashed ahead of Shepard into the lifeboat as a Maine stopped at the entrance turning to Shepard and looking to him. Shepard paused, slamming his hand against the door, ready to push aside the Maine that blocked his way.

Through both of their visors, each began a standoff that was quickly broken apart by an ODST the pushed by trying to secure a seat aboard the compact craft.

The marine who stood him down sat just across from Shepard and looked as Shepard looked down to Chief, who was being briefed by the pilot.

He then turned back and walked to the door, waving in the last Marine that boarded the life boat. Before sealing the door Chief leaned out making a last glance into the hall, before planting his hand across the pad of buttons and closing the door behind.

"We're ready" said Chief to the Pilot.

"Alright then folks you know the drill, so buckle up. Next stop, the large alien construct that may just kill us all, or bust." said the Pilot, just as she took to her console, just as the Lifeboat launched away the Pillar of Autumn.

From over his intercom Chief and Shepard were interrupted by, the voice of Keyes.

"Gentlemen, I see that you and Cortana are secure. Now when you hit the ground, be prepared for heavy Covenant resistance, as we may be already able to guess that they are already dug in. As for the rest of us, there are lifeboats that are still behind you and others that have already on Halo. As to those on Halo we have lost communications so far, but as we make our own approach we hope to have you patched in when you hit the surface. As to the last of us aboard, I will see you on Halo." said Keyes just as their intercoms went silent.

"Cortana, can he actually land the ship on that thing, and even survive?" asked Shepard

"I can only guess, but nothing good will come of landing a ship like that on the surface of Halo" said Cortana, the concern growing in her voice.

"Hang tight everyone, I hate to sound cliché, but this is going to be a bumpy ride." said Pilot over the Lifeboats intercom.

Shepard braced himself in against the seat, tightening the grip of the slings that were almost choking him. Down the line of seats, Chief braced himself against the wall, just beside the Pilot.

As the Lifeboat continued towards Halo, Chief looked on ahead, out into the void of space seeing that some of the other Lifeboats were being simply shot out of the air as Banshees zipped by.

The sights drew Shepard's attention as well, while the same soldier who had stopped him kept his eyes fixed to Shepard, but returned away as Shepard's view returned to him.

The lifeboat itself dove towards the Alien structure, as it was engulfed by hellfire that reached a quarter of the way up the Cockpit window. With this, the Lifeboat began to buckle under the stress of the now impending artificial gravity well that was being projected by Halo.

Chief and Shepard, braced as hard as they could as they felt the ship duck towards the surface.

The violent and ever changing environment inside the Lifeboat shook both Shepard and Chief into a blackout, as the rest of the Marines and few ODSTs aboard nodded off.

Shepard's eyes closed, as he suddenly lost his sense of the world. For the next few moments Shepard felt and saw nothing, only to be awoken be the loud noise of the Lifeboat crashing into the soft surface of Halo.

As the feeling in his body came back Shepard felt a sudden throbbing overtake his head. He then looked over to Chief. The Spartan sat idle near the pilot as his head began to move with a groggy nature to its movement.

Chief clasped his head with his hand, steadying its movement as he tried returning the grip his helmet had on his head.

"Are you both alright?" asked Cortana as She Chimed in, while they both began surveying the others that were aboard.

"I'm Green" said Chief.

"Just… just fine." Said Shepard as the pain in his head began to subside.

"Anyway what the status of all our friendlies here?" asked Cortana knowingly cutoff from her connection to the other IF tags of the Marines.

Shepard and Chief checked multiple areas of each of the Marines bodies looking for any sort of pulse.

"Anything Chief?" asked Shepard

"No, Pilot is KIA, and so is everyone here, what do you have?" said Chief, his voice still collected and focused.

"All KIA here" said Shepard, his voice becoming more somber with each word.

"Now How about getting out of here, since we still have Cortana, and your friends will be after us any moment now?" he said.  
Chief pushed passed Shepard as he headed to the door. He jerked his hands into the sealed door, as he pushed it out. The door and ballistic glass, stretched like a strong mold of clay, which was being handled by Chief.

As air flooded back into the Lifeboat, restoring the unstable atmosphere, Chief stepped out with Shepard in tow.

Each of them stepped out into the large and forested valley that surrounded. Just ahead lay a metallic bridge that stretched over the nearby chasm.

The alien world resonated with a sense of majestic beauty that after years of traveling the stars rocked Shepard to his core, casting a sudden an ominous calm over his anxiety ridden mind.

"Wow" said Shepard, as he whispered in the intercom.

"Are you a sucker for good views?" asked Chief, giving off a sense of his rare sarcastic remarks, that were never shared with anyone besides Cortana.

Shepard looked over to Chief, his now puzzled expression hidden beneath his helmet.

Cortana's voice then came over the intercom, interrupting his focus.

"He can't hear me right now, but all I can say is that I think you may be growing on him."

Shepard remained puzzled following the statement, but revealed in the compliment Cortana had shared.

"So this is Halo. Cortana are there are other lifeboats nearby?" said Chief.

"As a matter of a fact there is, readily two clicks away…" said Cortana before being interrupted by another lifeboat that flew in overhead.

"Actually if we just follow this one, we should be able to find the first one that I have mentioned. Its flight path should take us towards a landing site that is nearby that one. As to those aboard I am detecting multiple live IF tags, but if I can, that means that the Covenant aren't far away from them either." said Cortana.

"We need to move." said Chief before reaching for a rifle that sat amongst the debris and then taking a few clips for his still equipped sidearm, before reloading them each.

"You say that a lot, don't you?" said Shepard Jokingly.

"You'll hear it a lot" said Cortana as she began to laugh.

While both Shepard and Chief scavenged the area for what they could, the Marine who sat opposite unattached from the harness, and left the safety of the lifeboat, to appear just behind them.

She then ripped off her revealing her unkempt brown hair and familiar green eyes.

Shepard and Chief turned to meet her.

"Dr. Finrich?" he asked

"Does anyone need a doctor?" she asked

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: You take the Keys


End file.
